That was AWESOME

First real venture out into "traffic" in the wild actually, wasn't going to do it this morning but I just wanted to ride, everything went the way it should, nobody tried to kill me, I think I even had a guy riding shotgun in a black truck behind me for a lot of the way, some how he knew I was a new rider, got to get smoother :tard:

All city, Lakewood to Fircrest, can't wait for the day to be over to do it again

Congrats! Remember to breathe/relax, but stay focused! Those cagers are distracted with calling/texting/kids in the back seat and aren't looking for us when they make lane changes/merge onto the street/open their car doors.

Today was my first ride into work too.
Get the bike a couple weeks ago, got the endorsement officially on the license on Tuesday and headed into the DMV today to get the paperwork done.

Ride was uneventful EXCEPT for getting pulled over!
I rolled up to a stop light passing a cop who was waiting a few cars back in the other lane. I checked my mirror a moment after stopping and saw a cop car behind me, a check over the shoulder let me know it wasn't a second cop, but that the first had moved behind me.

Despite the increased nerves I proceeded forward with traffic without problem when the light turned green, checking my mirror a bit more often than usual as I expected the cop was behind me for a reason. Police lights came on a bit later, I signaled, moved to the right and confirmed that the cop followed me. I indicated with my arm I&#8217;d go up to an apartment complex entrance to pull over and then did so.

Cop was nice and said my license plate wasn&#8217;t visible (enough). Fortunately, I already had plans to move it, explained my plans to him and told him I was on my way to the DMV. Being able to show my DMV paperwork and newly endorsed (still the paper temporary version) license went a long way toward saving me a ticket as it was clear the bike was new to me though I don&#8217;t think I would have gotten a ticket anyway unless I was a jerk.

Cop mentioned he&#8217;d taken the Team Oregon (this was in Oregon) course a couple years prior but didn&#8217;t have a bike. Cop didn&#8217;t specifically check my bike out but mentioned it was in great shape for how old it was and we went on our way. I&#8217;d like to think he was just pulling me over to be a nice guy and say &#8220;hi.&#8221;

Moving the license plate has gone up on my priority list now. I don&#8217;t need him to see me again in a couple weeks with the plate in the same spot.

The most nervous was stopping at a light on a hill.. I thought I had planned my route pretty good, it's amazing how "steep" a hill is when your not in a car. No stalls, no wide turns (well, maybe that first left from a light)

It could not have been a normal ride in traffic if people failed to try to kill you. Pay better attention, all of them are trying to kill you.

Have fun, relax, and stay safe.

Click to expand...

THIS

Always get on your bike and be aware that ANY cager can/will/may kill you at any given moment. The more you ride, the more you will see. Now don't let this deter you from going out and having fun, just know its the risk you take every time you get on 2 wheels.

It could not have been a normal ride in traffic if people failed to try to kill you. Pay better attention, all of them are trying to kill you.

Have fun, relax, and stay safe.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I know. I've had a very close call from a driver taking a left hand turn* in front of me (I love the flashing yellow left turn lights but recognize their hazards) and on the ride home yesterday had someone pull out from a side street and force me to slow and veer right to miss them. Fortunately, I was aware of and prepared for both hazards.

Many years and thousands of miles on a bicycle have helped me develop the awareness that is needed on the motorcycle. The specific motorcycle skills are being developed. I'm developing new muscle memory and getting rid of the bicycling techniques that don't work (I can't steer the motorcycle by quick shifts of body weight).

*What made this particularly disturbing is that there was a fatal motorcycle accident in this same intersection a couple weeks prior from this same scenario.

The most nervous was stopping at a light on a hill.. I thought I had planned my route pretty good, it's amazing how "steep" a hill is when your not in a car. No stalls, no wide turns (well, maybe that first left from a light)

So tempting to leave work an hour early LOL

Click to expand...

I feel your nervousness about stopping on a hill! I'm still new myself and I purposely choose roads that I know are flat! Haha!
It's amazing though, once you get out of your comfort zone, (mine was a five mile circle out in the country) your confidance builds and you just get better and better.
And once you get to your destination you're sad, and you just want to keep going. What really sucks is that my work commute is a straight line!
Ride Safe!

ABOUT

PNW Riders is a motorcycle rider enthusiast community for all types of riders in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and the surrounding areas. Although we focus on regional Pacific Northwest riders, we often have members from the Midwest, East Coast and overseas enjoying the site. It doesn’t matter if you ride the street or the dirt, a sportbike or a cruiser, a super-motard or strictly race on the track - all motorcycle riders are welcome!